Arizona Wildcats star Gabi Stoian is on track to break the program's all-time records for career goals, assists and points.
The senior scored two goals in Arizona's first four matches of the season, putting her only six off from breaking the record.
Stoian is aware of how close she is, but UA coach Tony Amato says there's no pressure. She will lead the Wildcats into Sunday's home match against Texas Tech.
“When I talked to her about it, she emphasized that she wants the record, but she has always emphasized she wants the team to do well,” Amato said. “I think she feels more pressure about the team making the NCAA tournament than any individual record that is looming over.”
Stoian admits to sensing a little pressure, but that feeling has followed her since her freshman year, when she started 19 of 21 matches and scored 13 goals, the second-highest total in UA history. She has 26 career goals.
“It’s crazy, but I don’t want to look at it like that yet because I’m not there yet,” Stoian said.
Stoian, a midfielder from Scottsdale, has seen (and done) just about everything in her UA career. The Wildcats qualified for the NCAAA tournament in each of Stoian’s first two years. Her freshman year marked the first time the team made it to the tournament since 2005; as a sophomore, Stoian and the Cats made it to the Sweet 16.
“We’re just looking to get back where we were that year and make another appearance in the tournament,” Stoian said.
Stoian's individual success is one thing. Amato and Stoian agree that the Wildcats need to take a big step forward as a team.
“We’re just trying to create situations where we’re not only relying on her for our attack,” Amato said. “I think once we get to that point, that will open up things for her and she understands that.”
The Wildcats have been working on attacking quickly and playing more aggressively than they did last weekend in Tempe, when they tied Boston University and fell to No. 24 Central Florida as part of the Sun Devil Desert Classic.
“I think this last weekend we didn’t perform up to what I think we can do as a team overall, but she played well,” Amato said. “It’s hard to score goals and she did it the last two games. She scored in both those games.”
Amato praises Stoian for being not only a great player but a leader. Stoian creates positive energy, Amato said, and is a good teammate.
“I love the position I’m in right now, leading the team and being one of those captains on the team,” Stoian said. “I just know that they look to me to be a leader, to be a vocal leader, to be a leader through my actions and what I do on the field and off the field.”
